Would You Agree that the Monasteries Were Framed in Order to Dissolve Them Circa 1536 to 1540?

To argue the statement "would you agree that the monasteries were framed in order to dissolve them circa 1536 to 1540" in and of itself from would be incorrect. The definition of being framed it is 'conspiracy to make an innocent person appear guilty'. By its very definition the monasteries themselves could not be framed, however the inhabitants of the monasteries indeed were ' framed'.

The monks and nuns of the monasteries of England and Wales were used by King Henry VIII in order to secure and justify his position as head of the Church of England and to denounce Pope and Catholicism as wrongful and unwise. Henry's actions were those of a man whose ideology was that of personal glory and self-gratification. The Pope and his unwillingness to give the Henry a divorce was no doubt a decision that greatly angered the King. Henry sought not only to rid the country of the perpetuators of the Roman Catholic faith, but also to sell off the lands and the contents of the monasteries. Nevertheless, history has shown that Henry's motives were far more devious than what showed on the surface.

Henry needed to assure himself that there would be no one with any connection to Rome would rise up to denounce his position as the supreme head of the Church of England. However, perhaps his greatest desire was to pillage and plunder the vast lands and material wealth that the monasteries had accumulated over centuries, in order to fill up the Crown's coffers, which had been depleted by during the War of the Roses, and to build up a fine Navy to protect the country. Henry's true motives may be for ever mired in the annals of history, but his destruction of the monasteries was, essentially, complete.

Background

Britain was home to more than eight hundred ecclesiastical house, consisting of monasteries, abbeys, nunneries and friaries, representing such orders as the Benedictines and the Cistercians. There were more that 10, 000 individuals in the houses comprising of monks, nuns, friars and canons, among many others. The religious orders sought to follow an as simple lifestyle as possible, taking vows of celibacy, poverty and obedience. They people were farmers and caregivers, as well as ministers of the faith. Some monasteries were also very wealthy instructions, as their patrons had supplied them with lands and monetary supplements. Many were also profitable in businesses such as farming.

The bond between the Monarch and the Church remained strong for many centuries. History has shown that prior to the reign of Henry VIII the church was on relatively good terms with the Crown, although dissatisfaction at times would rear its head, but to not much consequence. During the early decades of the 16^th century, the church began to experience cracks in the armor of the faith. Martin Luther in Germany had begun to steer away from the teaching of Rome and had brought doubt to many of the faithful all over Europe. Henry remained unmoved by Luther's writings. The Pope was so pleased with Henry's allegiance that he rewarded him with the title 'Defender of the Faith'. It seems very ironic that the much-heralded 'Defender' was soon to turn 'Offender' to the Faith.

In 1509, Henry had married his brother Arthur's widow, the Spanish Princess, Catherine of Aragon. Catherine suffered a number of miscarried pregnancies, and gave birth to a daughter Mary, who later became Queen. Catherine also born Henry a male child, also named Henry who did not survive infancy. Henry was desperate for a male progeny to carry on his linage and succession of the throne. Catherine's failure to provide a male heir caused Henry great unease and unhappiness, and he set out to find someone who could fulfill his desire for an heir. He decided to seek a divorced from Catherine, and asked Pope Clement VII o grant him an official dispensation of divorce, leaving him free to marry his paramour, the beautiful Anne Boleyn, the niece of the Duke of Norfolk.

Pope Clement VII decided in 1529 to deny Henry his application for dispensation of his divorce and this greatly angered the king. Henry then set in motion the political machine to completely sever the British allegiance to Rome. Over the next few years, increment by increment, Henry's plan to break the hold of Papal rule came to fruition. In due course, the king gained his divorce decree form Catherine with the help of Thomas Cramner, the Archbishop of Canterbury, who became a very powerful ally of the King. Henry had already married the heavily pregnant Anne Boleyn even before his divorce had been officially granted. As soon as the decree was in place, Henry removed Catherine from the throne and made Anne his Queen. Henry was soon declared himself head of the newly created Church of England, and as such could now turn himself to the task of ridding the country of the last vestiges of Rome - the monasteries and their occupants.

The Dissolution

Henry had already succeeded in leaving Rome behind. However, he still had to deal with the visible presence of the religious orders dotted all over the country. The King sought to show the people that the religious orders were not house of worship and good, dedicated to living and espousing the Word and teachings of God and adhering to the vows of celibacy, poverty and obedience, but were dens of iniquity, greed, decadence and ill repute. While it was true that some of the orders had fallen victim to the sins purported by Henry, this was not true of all the houses. Nevertheless, the fall from grace of some gave Henry and his followers all the ammunition they needed to rid the country of the religious orders; Henry's appointees took whatever means they felt necessary to dispense the monks and other religious personnel out of their orders. If they left the order willingly, they were often given pensions on which to live. Of the more than 10000 members of religious orders in the country, more than 7000 took up this offer. Other fled to the European mainland or hid in unknown areas. A few chose to remain true to their calling even in the face of adversity, and the few met with rather grisly ends.

Henry disposed of the buildings, lands and goods of the monasteries in quick fashion. Some of the buildings were sold and became stately homes of the gentry. Numerous other buildings were virtually or completely destroyed. Some of the buildings were dismantled, and the stones formed the basis of other pieces of construction. Others were saved and became Parish churches for the townspeople, and some were destined to become Cathedrals in later years. The lands were sold or reverted to the custody of the Crown. The goods within the monasteries became relics in Henry's palaces or were sold to replenish the Crown coffers. Other were melted down and used in other applications. Perhaps Henry kept some of these precious antiquities to remind himself of his accomplishment in the destruction of monastic life, or maybe to simply pay homage to his massive ego.

Conclusion

Henry's zealous razing of the monasteries left a swath of destruction the length and breadth of the country. While Henry tried to destroy the hold of Catholicism in the country, he was largely successful in ridding the country of the visible reminders of the Papacy. But the conversion of the people to the new Church of England, while on the surface seemed complete; there were large numbers of persons who remained true to the Catholic faith.

Henry's need for funding proved to be a catalyst in his dissolving of the monasteries. While it can be argued that some of the monasteries needed to be reformed and brought into line, the vast majority were houses that only crime were being associated with Rome. Henry took the goods contained within and although he had at one time made promises of no taxes, and even education for his people, these promised never saw the light of day. Henry used the profits to fill the Crown coffers and support his lavish lifestyle.

Henry had broken from Rome for the simple reason that the Pope refused to let Henry step out of his marriage just because his wife was unable to bear a male heir. Henry, in essence, threw a tantrum that not only through the system of belief of his subjects into disarray, but ultimately even though he left Catholicism behind, created a Church in which he was the head, and could make decisions that would please him, he could not even remain true to his church's teaching. Henry's love for Anne Boleyn could not produce the much-wanted male, and he later tired of Anne. For a man who was a grown up through his early years as a faithful believer in the teaching of the Church, he became a man driven by greed, and the paranoia of becoming the last Tudor to rule on the throne of Britain. Bibliography

Gregory, Donald, 1995, Wales after 1536 - A Guide, Wales, Gomer Press

Jones, J. Gwynfor, 1989, Wales and the Tudor State: Government, Religious Change and the Social Order 1534-1603, Cardiff, University of Wales Press

No author listed, The History of the British People in Pictures, London, Odhams Press Limited

Paragon, 1999, The Little Book of Kings and Queens of Britain, London, Robinson's Publishing

Thomas, W.S.K., 1983, Tudor Wales 1485-1603, Llandysul, Gomer Press

Williams , Glanmor, 1987, Recovery and Reformation Wales c. 1415-1642, Oxford, Clarendon PressWebsites

Dissolution of the Monasteries, http://www.peterwestern.f9.co.uk/monasteries2.hm (20 Feb 2003)

Suppression of English Monasteries under Henry VIII, http://www.newadvent.org.cathen/10455a.htm (20 Feb 2003)

Clarke, Lindsay (British Heritage Magazine), The Dissolution of the Monasteries - Introduction, http://historymodern.about.com/library/prm/bldissa.htm (20 Feb 2003)

Dissolution of the Monasteries, http://britainpress.com/history/dissolution_of_the_monasteries.html (20 Feb 2003)

Dissolution of the Monasteries, www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/TUDmonasteries.htm (20 Feb 2003)